Drying and Curing Equipment Product Roundup
Drying and curing technologies continue to evolve. Each year, there is no lack of innovation in companies’ product portfolios. Drying equipment must keep up with increased press speeds, as well as market demand. And, for owners of curing equipment, high productivity, easy maintenance, efficiency, and Mother Nature are all major considerations. Check out what systems are available to meet your needs. Company: Air Motion Systems, Inc. (AMS), www.airmotionsystems.com
Product: Product: Peak 3 (P3) Web UV™ Curing System
What is it?: AMS’s third-generation Peak 3 (P3) Web UV Curing System designed for durability, high performance, and UV flexibility.
Features/Capabilities:
• Eliminates VOCs and cuts thousands of dollars annually by obviating the need for gas-fired ovens, afterburners, and chill rollers, and through recovery of floor space;
• Engineered to work seamlessly with leading web press systems;
• Dual Peak reflector geometry allows for 45 percent less energy consumption than comparable systems;
• Every water-cooled P3 UV lamp module is interchangeable between a series of flexible Web UV Cassettes, no matter the location on the press;
• The modules slide into position in seconds with a plug-and-play locking mechanism.
packagePRINTING notes: AMS introduced the Peak 3 (P3) Web UV Curing System to the North American market at Graph Expo 2008, where the company received positive feedback from web print customers. “The high ROI coupled with replacing older dryers and introducing new ‘green’ capabilities in substrates and coating techniques is an easy decision for many in the industry,” says AMS Owner and VP of Sales Hans Ulland. “We engineered the P3 Web UV system for a rapid, modular installation across any number of positions on the web.”
AMS reports that the P3 Web UV system derives reliability from multi-axial motion designed to maximize thermal durability of moving components, “self-healing” shutters that guarantee self-alignment of reflectors, and “in-line sacrificial anodes” that protect against corrosion of internal components.
Company: GEW, www.gew-uv.com
Product: IsoCure
What is it?: A UV curing system for mid- and wide-web printing and converting applications, which is designed for high-performance UV curing of inks, varnishes, coatings, silicone release, and hot-melt pressure-sensitive adhesives.
Features/Capabilities:
• For medium and wide formats in arc lengths from 50 cm (20˝) up to two meters (78.75˝).
• Can be fitted to existing machines or OEM-specified on in-line, CI, and sheetfed presses, as well as on laminators and bridge units over conveyers.
• A compact, reduced cross-section footprint facilitates installation.
• The system can be supplied with inert atmosphere technology for higher operating speeds and applications such as food packaging.
packagePRINTING notes: Managing Director Malcolm Rae said, “Typically, UV systems require large exhaust fans, ducting, and manifolds to remove the ozone and heat generated by the UV lamps when curing. IsoCure seals the lamp in its own temperature-controlled microclimate in isolation from the plant or print room, eliminating the expenditure of ambient air for cooling and ozone extraction. Instead of being ducted to the outside of the building, ozone is safely destroyed within the lamphead. This gives unprecedented savings in UV system operating costs because expensive heated or air-conditioned factory air is no longer consumed. This also yields increased lamp life as airborne contaminants and dust particles are not sucked into the lamphead. Furthermore, since no ducting or exhaust fans are needed, IsoCure allows neater, more compact installation with significantly reduced noise levels.”
Company: PRI Technologies, www.superblue.net
Product: Zone® ultraviolet curing system
What is it?: A UV curing system that is designed for the immediate curing of ultraviolet inks and coatings for in-line processing, and is available for litho or flexo applications.
Features/Capabilities:
• Variable lamp control and continuous air management;
• The system cures ultraviolet varnishes or coatings; and
• The lamp head assembly is cassette-mounted for easy installation, access, and removal.
Company: Prime UV, www.primeuv.com
Product: Prime UV Optimum Series
What is it?: An air-cooled line of UV processors designed for high-speed curing on web, gravure, and offset presses.
Features/Capabilities:
• Complete computer control of all parameters of the UV curing process;
• No chiller system is required for the lamp system;
• High-gloss/chemical and abrasion resistance; and
• No emitted VOCs.
Company: Energy Sciences, Inc., www.ebeam.com
Product: EZCure™ EB
What is it?: An electron beam system for inks, coatings, and laminating adhesives, designed for flexible packaging.
Features/Capabilities:
• Provides increased gloss;
• Uses 100 percent solids chemistry that has no volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and is environmentally safe;
• Highly resistant to scratch, scuff, and stains; and
• Reduces cost by reducing material cost, eliminating work-in-process inventory, and improving productivity.
Company: Aetek UV, www.americanultraviolet.com
Product: WebFlex™ UV System
What is it?: WebFlex meets the needs of “cool UV” for interstation and end-of-press installations on high-speed web offset and flexo presses and is designed for UV ink, clear coating, adhesive, and silicone-release coating applications.
Features/Capabilities:
• Compact and provides cool, fast, and efficient curing on paper, films, and folding carton stock, permitting heat-sensitive materials to be run without heat damage;
• Interstation dry trapping of ink provides precise process control at full speeds;
• Lamps can be installed on a new press or retrofitted when converting to UV;
• Lamp modules are interchangeable and can be moved between print stations; and
• Water-cooled elliptical shutters, replaceable dichroic or standard reflector liners.
Company: C.A. Litzler, www.calitzler.com
Product: PERFECT FLOAT® Flotation Dryers
What is it?: These flotation dryers dry both sides of a web at high speeds without leaving marks or scratches. The web is supported by air bars which provide flotation and a high heat transfer coefficient.
Features/Capabilities:
• Space-saving, compact, split-hood design;
• PERFECT FLOAT is a continuous slot air bar that eliminates streaks and provides even drying;
• Aerodynamic header systems for balanced temperatures and airflows;
• Litzler Human-Machine Interface graphical control; and
• THERMODRY™ Infrared Combination System.
Company: Radiant Energy Systems, www.radiantenergy.com
Product: Dortmann 8000 Hot Air System
What is it?: An interstation system designed to dry water-based flexo inks on film, paper, or foil.
Features/Capabilities:
• Dortmann 8000 nozzle, duct heater, recirculating blower and control panel;
• High-velocity and low-temperature; runs LDPE and HDPE; and
• Speeds of up to 500 fpm.
Company: IST America, www.ist-uv.com
Product: BLK-5 system
What is it?: The BLK-5 is a UV drying system that was specially developed for rotary printing applications.
Features/Capabilities:
• Efficient drying results can be achieved with two BLK-5 units (180 W/cm); and
• A reduction in the electrical load can drastically cut electricity costs and increase efficiency by 40 percent, according to a German trade association, deutsche Berufsgenossenschaft Druck und Papierverarbeitung.
Company: AAA Press International, Inc., www.aaapress.com
Product: LIGHTouch™ Versiflex Programmable Logic Controlled UV Curing System
What is it?: A five-stage auto intensity model with touch screen remote control and system flexibility, which allows the operator to program many of its features.
Features/Capabilities:
• Full-color touch screen remote is operator programmable for UV intensity auto ramp, shutter timing, bulb timers, etc.;
• Micro adjustable UV intensity at 5 levels for optimum heat management and exact curing power;
• On-screen troubleshooting and auto UV fault protection minimize production downtime; and
• Dual filtered “cool” UV lamp assemblies in 400 or 600 WPI with 19 pt. stepped ellipse reflector.
Company: Radio Frequency Co., Inc., www.radiofrequency.com
Product: Macrowave RF Drying System
What is it?: A high-speed web drying system for patterned adhesive coatings.
Features/Capabilities:
• Selectively heats only patterned coatings on the web and leaves the bound moisture in the substrate intact, preventing over-drying, distortion, and shrinking.
• Can operate at speeds of up to 1500 fpm and can handle webs up to 120˝ wide;
• Needs one-fifth to one-third of floor space required for hot air/IR dryers, permits low web temperatures, and provides energy savings of up to 50 percent; and
• Reduces makeready time because RF power is instant “on/off” and energy is only consumed in proportion to the load.
Company: Aradiant, www.aradiant.biz
Product: Tuned Frequency Infrared Dryer (TFIR)
What is it?: A drying system for conventional ink and aqueous coating.
Features/Capabilities:
• Uses “tuned frequencies” of radiant energy to dry the independent ink film;
• Interstation drying modules for each print unit allow for multiple exposures of radiant energy; and
• Aradiant’s TFIR is designed for four color and larger printing presses from 20˝ (52 cm) to 80˝ (200 cm) widths.
Company: Mark Andy, UV Technologies (UVT), www.markandy.com
Product: UVT PowerSmart
What is it?: UVT PowerSmart is a stepless power supply, designed to minimize energy usage and floorspace requirements while maximizing print speeds and curing capabilities.
Features/Capabilities:
• Exhaust damper control with system blower to maintain lamp temperature;
• Intuitive design allocates appropriate power level specific to the web speed, eliminating wasted energy to the web;
• A control system, provides operators with information and guidance on resolution should issues arise; and
• Full integration into many Mark
Andy and Comco press lines.
Company: Nordson, www.nordson.com
Product: eUV™ Energy Saving UV Control System
What is it?: A UV control system that allows for less energy consumption, less waste, and greater savings.
Features/Capabilities:
• Shuts down drying systems quickly during make-ready and/or setup times;
• Before UV is required, the Nordson Express Restart™ System delivers real UV output using conventional lamps;
• When using standard UV lamps, the system eliminates energy waste during non-production periods for reduced operating costs and improved profitability. pP
